TutorVista

We found a recent comparison review of TutorVista.com at The Wall Street Journal, where it's tested, along with four other sites, with a sixth-grade geometry problem. Since TutorVista is considered an innovative approach to tutoring, it's received quite a bit of publicity. One of these articles is basically a press release, but it features interviews with the founder of TutorVista and with parents who use the service.

TutorVista.com is the top-ranked paid tutoring service for students K-12 and into college. Though the monthly fee is fairly expensive (*est. $100 per month), it covers 24/7 unlimited individual tutoring from tutors who have teaching expertise, most with at least a master's degree. (Reviewers say most private tutors charge $25 or more per hour, so this price is actually quite low by comparison.) Tutoring covers 31 subjects geared to state curricula, and reviewers say explanations are easy to understand, since they combine phone, instant messaging and virtual whiteboard. Most tutors are in India, but calling can be done by Internet phone. In addition to help with homework, the program includes assessment tests and report cards. For continuity, the student is assigned one tutor per subject, working in 45-minute sessions. If this kind of private tutoring seems too expensive, reviewers recommend Cosmeo (*est. $10 per month) for video lessons and reference material geared to curricula.